Carney's Studio City: Hot Dogs in a Choo Choo

CARNEY'S STUDIO CITY
12601 Ventura Bl
818.761.8300
Click for a Map to Carney's

Winner of the 2004 Top Dog Award
for Best Wiener in Los Angeles



PARTICULARS:
Standard Hot Dog and Red Eye (Spicy Polish)
Saurkraut, Yellow or Brown Mustard, Chili
Burgers, Fries, Shakes & Floats,
Salads and Wraps for girls and wimps
Health Department Rating: A

DISTINCTIONS:
Eat in train cars, pee in the caboose!
Open Late, Outdoor Patio

Originally, we planned to make our first review be a first impression of The Stand, an upscale hotdoggery in Encino recommended to Jon the Food Slob by 97.1 KLSX food guru Merrill Shindler, but when the Slob was hijacked by out of town guests, Chicago Mike and Steve Doggie-Dogg schlepped on down to Steve's home turf hangout, Carney's instead.



Carney's is housed in several old train cars. (The bathrooms are out in the caboose, naturally!) It's super clean and comfortable, with a radio playing pop music that doesn't get on your nerves. There's an outdoor patio area in front. It's the best place to sit, but during the day, the pigeons are agressively incorrigable. They'll walk right up and snatch your dog if you don't shoo them away. The clientele ranges from two to eighty, with a larger than average percentage of grandpas taking their grandkids out for lunch, teenage girls and upscale yuppies. Local celebrity sightings here in the past include Gary Owens (Laugh In), John K (Ren & Stimpy), Sergio Aragones (Mad Magazine) and that boring schlub from the Tonight Show.



As usual, we weren't disappointed. Chicago Mike had two Chicagoans (mustard, relish, onions) and an order of fries. Steve Doggie-Dogg ordered his regular... three Red Eyes with cheese, onions, brown mustard and tomatoes. The dogs were cooked to order and didn't take too long to arrive. For some reason, Carney's has trouble with Steve's favorite. This time they forgot the cheese. But all was forgiven... hopefully, they'll get it right next time. Here's what we wolfed down...



Carney's buns are nothing to write home about. They're generic and bland... At least they aren't wet and soggy. But the meat's pretty doggone remarkable. The Red Eye is surprisingly jolly and mellow compared to the smokier, dark tasting standard dog. The skin doesn't quite have the sharp snap of a truly world class dog... more of a dull thunk. It's not a natural casing, few Jumbo Dogs have that, but the Red Eye does squirt nicely into your mouth when you bite into it. The onions were fresh as a daisy, not at all soggy and sour, and the tomatoes were to die for. Carney's definitely has the best tomatoes in town. It's worth getting them even if they do slip and slide all over the place. The fries were only so-so... crispy but a bit flavorless. Past experience has taught us to avoid the crasty cornstarch-supplemented chili at Carney's. For some reason, there were no ketchup containers anywhere in the place. We had to rip and squeeze a gazillion packets. Even though there were a few areas that could be improved, all in all, it was a completely satisfying meal.



Carney's is a great place to take kids. Don't let the picture of Chicago Mike below scare you from coming down after dark... It has a friendly security guard on duty and plenty of lighting at night, so you don't even have to be afraid to bring your mom. None of us have ever tried them, but the chicken wraps and pasta salads are probably pretty good. Your sissy vegetarian pals and girlfriends can gnaw on a Chinee Chicken Salad or a Rabbit Food Wrap while you happily chow down on a real man's meal. If you're not feeling doggish, the half pound cheeseburger is one of the best of its kind.



This is a good spot to pick for our first review, because it sets a high standard. It'll be interesting to see how well other joints compare to Carney's. If Jon the Food Slob can ditch the out of towners, we'll have a report on The Stand soon.